Peacock is looking to get into the small-town horror genre with The Official Carpet Trailer. The show, created by Yellowstone Alum Ian McCulloch, was loosely inspired by Robert McCammon’s 1988 novel StingerExplore a group of people in rural Georgia who find themselves trapped when a mysterious threat pushes them into a state of paranoia as they try to decide how to survive. The maid’s storyS Ybon Strahovski and Gray’s AnatomyScott Speedman hosts the show by James Wan alongside Chaske Spencer, Kathy Baker, Boris McGiver, Caleb Dolden, Émilie Bierre and Luciano Leroux.
With just a few weeks left until its premiere, Peacock released the official Carpet Trailer. The video opens by introducing some of the town’s residents, including Strahovski’s Maggie and her family, whose son Arlo wanders into the woods to follow a stray goat from their farm, only to be visited by a mysterious entity. The trailer then shifts to a much more ominous tone as a mysterious figure in a gas mask paints a circle around the community’s outskirts and warns not to trust anyone, with Arlo tells his mom that the “Man in my head“Says they’re trapped.
The trailer continues to show a variety of ominous images of what the group encounters in their area, including dead animals on top of a blackened cross in the middle of the forest, lights in the farm flashing on-and-off, a character with a Mysterious finger roots, and Arlo’s warning that “It comes, and it kills everything in its path.”. The footage then ends with a trio of characters watching in shock as a woman falls over the painted line and is torn apart by an off-screen figure, with Speedman’s James also pulled into an empty house’s basement while investigating it. Check out the trailer below:
In addition to the trailer, both McCulloch and Wan have written full letters with insight into their approach to adapting Stinger to the screen in Carpet. The former admitted to being reluctant when Van’s atomic monster approached him To develop the adaptation, as he is “Not a spectacle writer“And he didn’t connect the idea until he read the novel:
When Atomic Monster first approached me about creating a series adaptation of Robert McCammon’s Stinger – a non-stop, gargantuan spectacle of a novel along the lines of The Stone, Independence Day and Mars Attacks – to be honest, I didn’t. Want to throw my hat in the ring. I’m not a screenwriter. I’m a less-is-more writer. I gravitate more towards what are known as Keyloool epics. Big stories told through small lenses. Think signs, the thing, a quiet place. But here’s the thing. I read Stinger and it stayed with me. wouldn’t leave me alone. I just can’t stop thinking about its razor-sharp premise, how it unfolds over the course of a single harrowing day, and about the relatable and real family that McCammon puts center stage. That’s when the flash flash-light bulb idea hit…
McCulloch goes on to explain that he Came up with the idea to adopt Stinger “In a way that honors the book and stays true to the kinds of stories I like to tell“. In doing so, he sought to take away multiple elements of the novel, including “The big ensemble“and”The giant set pieces“, instead feeling that the most effective elements are those of the letters and the tension of isolation:
What if I adapt Stinger in a way that honors the book and stays true to the kinds of stories I like to tell? Stop the hassle. Keep the most effective elements of Stinger. Take off the big ensemble. Take off the giant set pieces. Even take away the book’s crowded city setting. The adaptation would be like an acoustic guitar version of, say, a Radiohead song. It won’t have the production value, electronic instruments, loops or synthesized bells and whistles, but it will still have the melody, the structure, the lyrics, the real magic at the heart, all the stuff that makes a great song a great song . All that is to say I can suddenly see exactly what to do and how to do it. Two weeks later, Atomic Monster had the script for the first episode. Soon after that, Peacock bought it. Not so long after that, both my creative and career dreams actually began to come true as more scripts were written, hires made, actors cast, sets built, and production began…
McCulloch would conclude his letter by recalling how the show “changed and evolved“During production, Including how the title of the show changedAlthough stated that “The reasons for this are also spoilery“. He finally expressed his hope that fans of the novel will be as entertained as general audiences as the show sets itself apart as “A puzzle-box mystery, an edge-of-your-seat thriller, a can’t-but-must-see horror story, a family drama“and”A science fiction epic“:
Of course, during production, the series changed and evolved. Just as it should. Even the title is different. Stinger is now Teacup. The reasons for this are too spoilery to share, but watch the first few episodes and all will be revealed. In fact, the series is now its own thing: a puzzle-box mystery, an edge-of-your-seat thriller, a can’t-but-must-watch horror story, a family drama, a science fiction epic—of the Keyhole variety, of course. But as singular, strange and surprising as I hope Teacup is, all you need to do is peel away the layers, characters, situations and mythology and look behind the thrills, chills, hairpin turns and make-you gasp reveals. Do all that, and you’ll see, at its heart, Teacup still very much stands on Stinger’s shoulders. Just as it should.
Van’s letter opens with the reminder of how he and “The entire team at Atomic Monster felt a spark“When reading McCammon’s source novel, believe that “The story has all the ingredients for a captivating series“And praised McCulloch’s approach, as it”Defy easy labels“:
After reading Robert McCammon’s book Stinger, the entire team at Atomic Monster felt a spark. The story has all the ingredients for a captivating series and Ian McCulloch had a vision to bring it to life in a fresh way that was surprising and darkly atmospheric, but filled with a rich sense of humanity – often missing in edgy stories. Add in our incredibly talented cast led by Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman and Chaske Spencer and fans are in for a true edge-of-your-seat experience. Teacup defies easy labels. It’s a genre-bending blend of horror, mystery and drama, with layers that unfold like a captivating puzzle. It goes beyond chills and thrills and holds a mirror to humanity, exploring the darkness that resides within us all. We hope you enjoy this wild ride as much as we enjoyed creating it!
What the teacup trailer says about the horror show
McCulloch takes a very loose approach to the source material
As evidenced by both the trailer and McCulloch’s letter, it seems clear that Carpet is taking a very loose approach to adapting McCammon’s source novelMoving away from the gang wars and larger city setting of the book for a smaller story. As stated, the promise of a “Puzzle-box mystery“A lot is shown in the trailer, including keeping what is actually the threat of the show off-screen and building on that with hints of a figure that will kill the main cast of characters if they get in their way.
McCulloch’s approach to Carpet Could actually work out in his favor if he has a multi-time plan for the project
While the concept of a puzzle-box mystery does initially spark memories of LostThe Carpet Trailer actually proves reminiscent of more recent well-received horror shows, Namely MGM+S of and fox Wayward pines. The Harold Perrineau-led show centers on a town in Middle America whose residents are trapped by nocturnal creatures that inhabit the surrounding forest, while the M. Night Shyamalan-produced title centers on the residents of the titular town, seemingly kept prisoner there. By an electric fence, when the reality is that there are a number of creatures in the surrounding forest and that the town is older than it seems.
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Although Wayward pines Only ran for two seasons before being cancelled, of continues to be a hit for MGM+, Thanks in part to Stephen King’s frequent support on social media for the horror show. As such, McCulloch’s approach to Carpet Could actually work out in his favor if he has a multi-season plan for the project, and it proves as chilling as its genre companions. The trailer certainly points to it not only taking a page ofs playbook, but also that of A quiet places, which, when paired with Van’s attachment, lays the foundation for success.
Our Teacup trailer
The show looks chilling, if a little familiar
As mentioned above, Carpet Looks to have a lot of similarities to of and other small-town horror shows, which may bode well for the show’s success, though may also leave it feeling too familiar. Given McCammon’s novel is often compared to John Carpenter’s The thingI certainly remain open to the show’s chances, as few body-snatching horror titles have failed to match the 1982 classic. However, if the puzzle-box mystery structure leaves more questions than answers by the end of its run, it might as well be another disappointing attempt at recovery Losts success.
Carpet Premiere on Peacock on October 10, with two episodes aired weekly each following Thursday.
Source: Peacock